Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons^™

Extraordinary Everyday Stories: Audio Resources For The Communication Instructor, David E. Engen

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Communication instructors often supplement course texts with artistic works such as feature films, short stories, and memoirs. A less common form of supplementary material is the audio documentary/story. The discussion below introduces several audio resources likely to help students deepen their understanding of communication in general and interpersonal and intercultural communication in particular. I also offer a few ideas to those instructors wishing to help students create their own small-scale audio productions.

Tomkat!: Linking Theory And Practice In Communication Studies Course Through The Introduction And Application Of Social Exchange Theory, Rita L. Rahoi-Gilchrest

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This article describes an activity suitable for either high-school or university-level communication courses. Combining outside online research, small group discussion, and class interaction, this exercise uses Social Exchange Theory, applied to examples of celebrity relationships generated by students and discussed in groups, to illustrate the process by which individuals decide whether or not to initiate and sustain interpersonal relationships. Although students should be reminded that the reasons relationships do or do not survive are difficult enough to understand when we are involved in them, let alone when we view them from an outside perspective, the activity proves intriguing and involving …

"Sometimes The Perspective Changes": Reflections On A Photography Workshop With Multicultural Students In Italy, Robin L. Danzak

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

This article describes and evaluates an 8-week photography workshop, FotoLab, conducted in Italy at an afterschool-tutoring program for students acquiring Italian as an additional language. Seventeen students, age 8-17 and originating from 9 countries, participated. Co-facilitated by three international educator-researchers, FotoLab's purpose was to promote self-expression, collaboration, and visual literacy. Through a qualitative inquiry of the FotoLab curriculum, photographs and videos, field notes, and student questionnaires, this article reflects on themes of multiculturalism and multilingualism, collaboration, and visual literacy within a sociocultural animation framework. While expressions of cultural and linguistic identity emerged, findings emphasize the challenges and benefits of teamwork …

Assessment Of The Perceived Role And Function Of A Community Advisory Board In A Nih Center Of Excellence: Lessons Learned, Margaret L. Walsh, Desiree Rivers, Maria Pinzon, Nina Entrekin, Emily M. Hite, Julie A. Baldwin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: The Community Advisory Board (CAB) was a vital component of the Center for Equal Health. The center addressed health disparities through community-based research and educational outreach initiatives. Objectives: To evaluate the perceived relationship of the CAB and Center, explore members’ perceptions of the CAB’s role, and elicit feedback on how to enhance the relationship between the Center and the CAB. Methods: Ten in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed with a focus on predetermined codes. Results: Main themes focused on perception of CAB roles and need for utilization of board members; overall center challenges; …

Efficacy Of The Picture Exchange Communication Systemin Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Reagan Blason

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The increasing diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) each year affect many families worldwide and are a major concern to therapists, healthcare workers, and educators. Many children diagnosed with ASD will never go on to develop functional speech or will have limited communication, as well as impaired social-communication skills. Limited communication makes education and therapy difficult for these children and their caregivers. Language therapy and interventions aim to improve social-communication and speech in these children, so it is crucial to find the most efficient interventions. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a common tool used to assist communication in …

A Case For An Ecological Approach And Against Language Commodification In Elt, Vinicius O. Souza

MA TESOL Collection

This paper aims to provide an alternative approach to the English language education practiced in many developing countries which can help reverse their current low-proficiency status, as revealed by standard international examinations such as the PISA scores and others. The author argues that this can be best accomplished by adopting an ecological approach to teaching which promotes language learning as emergent and socially situated phenomena, two concepts largely neglected by current teaching methods. In fact, many of these countries have long been dominated by an extremely commodified and cognitivist ELT market, where business interests have taken precedence over pedagogical considerations. …

Organizational Communication: Perceptions Of Staff Members’ Level Of Communication Satisfaction And Job Satisfaction, Priti R. Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted.

A total of 463 non-faculty staff members from different units of a single higher education institution participated in this study. This study included non-teaching staff, including student workers and both full-time and part-time staff members. …

Framing Group Projects: Leadership And Style In Small Group Dynamics, Jillian Bonafede

Honors Projects in Applied Psychology

The purpose of my Capstone was to look at small group dynamics and the factors that have a profound impact upon them. I used Bryant University’s IDEA Program as the template for my project for, and arena from which I collected my research. The IDEA Program is a three-day ideation and innovation program that all first-year students are required to participate in. I observed, filmed and questioned twenty-five of the first-year students participating in the program. After my research and analysis, I found that there were four factors that greatly influenced the dynamics of a small group, as well as …

Making Oral Communication A Successful Part Of The Common Core, Jon A. Hess

Communication Faculty Publications

Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represents the first time that oral communication has been included in the curriculum requirements for K–12 education in many states. If done well, this change will provide important benefits to students. However, effective implementation will require collaboration among policymakers, educators, and experts in oral communication.

As educators work to strengthen primary and secondary education in the United States, many agree that schools need educational standards that are grounded in today’s needs and shared across states. The CCSS have emerged as a potential solution, and the majority of states have adopted these standards. …

It Takes A Community: On-Time Graduation For At-Risk Youth, Sheila L. Gray, Danielle A. Craig

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Cultivating Youth is an at-risk student community agency and organization collaboration that provides opportunities to 1) attend leadership training and college level classes, 2) retrieve and receive duel credits to achieve graduation, and 3) directly apply learned life-skills and workforce preparation to applied experiences while building self- esteem.

It is a full circle approach to improve quality of life.

Progressive Education: Mindfulness In The Third Grade, Edna Moy-Rome

Progressive Education in Context

Over the course of the 2013-2014 school year, the author had the opportunity to introduce and explore mindfulness in a third grade classroom.

Breathe To Understand, Maxine Swisa

MA TESOL Collection

BREATHE is an acronym for Breathe, Reflect, Empathize, Accept, Thank, Hearten, Engage. The addition of Understand allows for a holistic approach to living a healthy and balanced life both inside and outside the classroom. This paper took form as a result of my personal, spiritual journey, as well as my teaching practice. I noticed that the majority of my students enjoyed experiential activities that included time and space for self-reflection, relaxation and meditation. I began looking for books, seminars, and workshops that explored these areas. Deepak Chopra, Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Dan Siegel, Eckhart Tolle, et al. offer insights into the benefits …

Cultural Awareness Training: Preparing New Instructors For The Millennial Student, Trisha K. Hoffman, Tara Franks, Belle Edson

Basic Communication Course Annual

It is not unusual for instructors to face challenges relating to, understanding, or motivating their students. Educators can chalk this up to a variety of factors, including differences in and between education levels, life experiences, and ascribed power roles. We argue, however, that it is the generational differences between instructors and their students that pose a much greater challenge toward the establishment of a productive teacher-student relationship and the facilitation of learning. With the age of the Millennial college student upon us, we make the case that the most important area of training for new instructors is developing cultural awareness …

A Model For The Development Of A Sustainable Basic Course In Communication, Samuel P. Wallace

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this essay is to provide clarity and direction for developing and maintaining outcome-driven courses for inclusion in general education curricula. The focus is on the basic course in Communication, but the principles can be applied to nearly any course. The outcome-driven perspective changes many traditional conceptions of the basic communication course and provides an opportunity to integrate communication content into a student’s broader college education and subsequent career. A model is proposed that can provide guidance in the development of sustainable courses that emerged from the experience with course development and implementation.

Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Editor's Page, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Basic Communication Course Annual

Despite its nom de guerre, there is nothing “basic” about the basic communication course in colleges and universities. It has served as a locus for research into communication skills, instructional technology, speech anxiety, instructional design and pedagogical practices. All of the research on these topics impacts more than just the basic course, as it is often relevant to instruction in other courses. The work done in the basic communication course is complex and important for both our students and the discipline.

In this, the 27th volume of the Basic Communication Course Annual, there continue to appear studies that examine the …

Contents And Abstracts

Basic Communication Course Annual

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The Invaluable Nature Of Speech Evaluation Training For New Basic Course Instructors, T. Kody Frey, John F. Hooker, Cheri J. Simonds

Basic Communication Course Annual

Recent reforms in higher education recognize the centrality of communication in general education programs (e.g., Association of American Colleges and Universities, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, LEAP, Common Core State Standards). As oral communication knowledge and skills are becoming recognized as integral to general education programs across the country, many basic course directors are finding themselves in the position of offering multiple sections of the course taught by multiple instructors. Additionally, basic course directors find themselves with the responsibility of providing clear measures of what they do and how well they do it. Because oral communication assessment is …

Preparing To Prepare Quality Speakers: What New Basic Course Instructors Need To Know, Luke Lefebvre, William Keith

Basic Communication Course Annual

Students should focus on practicing speaking skills, not just preliminary activities such as learning concepts about speaking. A common obstacle for training instructors is to describe the valued activity in an appropriate way. Often instructors first think the assignments included in the basic course simply are the activity the course teaches, but they are not. For example, giving an "informative speech" is supposed to help students become better public or oral communicators in general – the speech is a means to that, not an end itself.

As we contemplate the important elements for training new basic course instructors two variables …

Instructional Discussion: The Most Important Area Of Training For New Basic Course Instructors, Cheri J. Simonds, John F. Hooker, Anna M. Wright

Basic Communication Course Annual

In order to determine the most important concept to teach new basic course instructors, it is important to know what we want students to be able to do as a result of the basic course and what teaching method will best reach that outcome. One main goal of the basic course is to teach students to communicate orally and give them practice doing so. This can be accomplished through what Muller (2014) defines as instructional discussion, or “an instructional interaction where teachers and students engage together in an exploration of problems, ideas, and questions in ways that incorporate the knowledge …

Shaking In Their Digital Boots: Anxiety And Competence In The Online Basic Public Speaking Course, Joshua N. Westwick, Karla M. Hunter, Laurie L. Haleta

Basic Communication Course Annual

In response to a call for increased research on educational quality of online public speaking courses, this study assessed online course impacts on students’ (N = 147) speaker anxiety and self-perceived communication competence. A significant decrease in speaking anxiety occurred over the course of the semester, supporting efficacy of the online basic speech course at the university level. However, the predicted significant increase in self-perceived communication competence was not found, warranting additional considerations in online course designs. The significant reduction in speaking anxiety within the online course is promising and suggests that this learning goal can be met in this …

From The Outside Looking In: Employers’ Views Of The Basic Course, John F. Hooker, Cheri J. Simonds

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay is designed to connect specific communication skills desired by employers in industry to basic course concepts. While communication is often identified as one of the most important skills for graduates seeking employment, this broad view makes it nearly impossible for basic course directors and instructors to design their pedagogy to satisfy students’ future needs. This manuscript examines a part of the 2014 Basic Course Conference where industry leaders were invited to present what they felt to be the most important communication skills and knowledge in employees and then engaged in a discussion with the attending basic course directors …

Comparisons Of Speech Anxiety In Basic Public Speaking Courses: Are Intensive Or Traditional Semester Courses Better?, Mary Z. Ashlock, William A. Brantley, Katherine B. Taylor

Basic Communication Course Annual

Students of public speaking are often asked if a basic public speaking course helped them deal with their fear of public speaking. Comparisons of anxiety levels between students enrolled in traditional 15-week semester courses and those enrolled in intensive courses has received little attention. The purpose of this exploratory, quasi-experimental study was to determine whether students enrolled in intensive public speaking courses reported higher levels of communication apprehension, i.e., speech anxiety. Participants were 722 undergraduate students who completed the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety instrument. The findings indicated that students enrolled in intensive public speaking courses had significant moderate …

Connecting To Veterans In Public Speaking Courses, Alisa Roost

Basic Communication Course Annual

While much research has analyzed the role of military veterans’ centers on campus, faculty can also purposefully support veterans, a diverse group that may benefit from some accommodations. Intentional pedagogy that keeps the needs of veterans in mind can help us better support diverse populations regardless of military status. Specific issues professor may better engage include student alienation and connection, anxiety, language and clarity of directions. Professors can address issues of alienation and connection by working to create a welcoming classroom without singling veterans out. Professors should take communication anxiety among veterans very seriously as communication anxiety may be linked …

Author Biographies

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Submission Guidelines

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 27

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full issue (196 pages, 7.0 MB)